It used to be that if you wanted to stop sales calls, you needed to either change your phone number or call your service provider to see if you could put a block on certain numbers. But in 2004, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implemented the Do Not Call Registry, a free service that prohibits telemarketers from calling you once you sign up.

Steps

1

Go to the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry website. Click on a link that says "Register Now."

2

Enter up to 3 10-digit phone numbers to place those numbers on the registry. You must also provide your email address. You can register both home and cell phone numbers.

3

Wait for a verification email. A message from the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry website should arrive just a few minutes after you register. Click on the link in the email to confirm your registration. Check your junk email folder or spam filter if the email doesn't arrive in a few minutes.

The link in the email you receive from register@donotcall.gov will be very long. If you are taken to a page that states "Registration Incomplete" after clicking the link, maximize the email page in your browser so that it covers your entire computer screen. Then click on the link or copy and paste it into your web browser.

4

Go to the FTC's website and access the "Register Now" page again if your verification email hasn't arrived within 24 hours. Click on the "Verify a Registration" link. Where prompted, enter the phone number or numbers and email address you initially registered and wait for a new verification email.

5

File a complaint with the FTC if sales calls do not stop. Telemarketers have 31 days to stop calling. You can also file a complaint if you receive calls with recorded messages instead of a live person.

Look for the "File a Complaint" page on the National Do Not Call Registry website. Enter the date you received the call and the phone number that made it. You must also indicate whether the call was a recorded message. After entering that information, provide your phone number to officially file the complaint.

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Tips

You do not have to re-register your phone number with the FTC after a 5-year period. Though an expiration date was written into the law, the FTC committed to not enforcing the rule in a United States House of Representatives hearing.

Rather than go online, you can also call (888) 382-1222 from the phone number you wish to place on the Do Not Call Registry.

Warnings

You can remove your phone number from the Do Not Call registry at any time by calling (888) 382-1222 from the phone number you wish to delete. Your phone number will be removed from the registry by the next business day.